1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a navigation device for offering various services using telephone numbers.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Referring now to FIG. 13, there is illustrated a block diagram showing the structure of a prior art navigation device as disclosed in for example Japanese Patent Application Laying Open (KOKAI) No. 9-113288. In the figure, reference numeral 108 denotes a display and control unit comprised of a liquid crystal display 108A and a control switch panel 108B, 109 denotes the body of the navigation device, 132 denotes an antenna of a GPS receiver, 133 denotes a telephone connection unit, 120 denotes a speaker, 134 denotes a microphone, 135 denotes a mobile telephone, and 136 denotes an antenna of the mobile telephone 135.
Next, a description will be made as to the operation of the prior art navigation device. When a user selects a point on an map displayed on the screen of the liquid crystal display 108A and then selects a function of retrieving a telephone number, the prior art navigation device displays location names and person""s names, which are registered in the navigation device, in the order of increasing distance from the selected point on the far-right portion of the screen. When the user further selects one of the place names and person""s names on-screen, the navigation device displays the on-screen place name or person""s name in reverse video and the corresponding point on the on-screen map in reverse video to emphasize that the location or person has been selected, retrieves the telephone number of the selected location or person from stored telephone number data, displays the telephone number on the far-right portion of the wide screen, and then automatically dials the telephone number. Thus, when a user selects an arbitrary point on a map on-screen, the prior art navigation device makes it possible to display one or more locations and persons associated with the selected point, allow the user to select one of them, and automatically dial the telephone number of the selected location or person.
A problem with such a prior art navigation device is that when the user wants to dial a desired telephone number through the navigation device, the user needs to manually select a location name or a person""s name associated with the desired telephone number. Another problem is that the user has to determine for himself or herself whether the vehicle on which the navigation device is mounted reaches the destination, and then dial the destination""s telephone number if necessary.
The present invention is made to overcome the above problems. It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a navigation device capable of dialing a desired telephone number without having to force users to manipulate the navigation device.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a navigation device capable of displaying a desired telephone number on the screen of a display unit without requiring users to manipulate the navigation device.
In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a navigation device capable of dialing a mobile telephone connected to the navigation device, the device comprising: a map database for storing map data; a telephone number database for storing a plurality of locations and their telephone numbers, latitudes, and longitudes; a unit for allowing a user to select a desired location from among the plurality of locations stored in the telephone number database and set the desired location to his or her destination, and to set a predetermined distance; and an automatically dialing unit for automatically dialing a telephone number corresponding to the destination, which is stored in the telephone number database, when the distance from a current position to the destination is less than or equal to the predetermined distance while the navigation device guides the user to the destination according to the map database and the telephone number database.
In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a navigation device capable of dialing a mobile telephone connected to the navigation device, the device comprising: a map database for storing map data; a telephone number database for storing a plurality of locations and their telephone numbers, latitudes, and longitudes; a unit for allowing a user to select a desired location from among the plurality of locations stored in the telephone number database and set the desired location to his or her destination; and an automatically dialing unit for automatically dialing a telephone number corresponding to the destination, which is stored in the telephone number database, when the user enters an area whose area code agrees with the one of the destination while the navigation device guides the user to the destination according to the map data base and the telephone number database.
In accordance with another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the automatically dialing unit can inform somebody on the other end of the connection of the remaining distance from the current position to the destination and the time required for the user to reach the destination, which are calculated according to the map database and the telephone number database.
In accordance with another preferred embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a navigation device comprising: a map database for storing map data; a telephone number database for storing a plurality of locations and their telephone numbers, latitudes, and longitudes; a unit for allowing a user to select a desired location from among the plurality of locations stored in the telephone number database and set the desired location to his or her destination; a unit for looking up the area code of a current position using the map database and the telephone number database; a unit for retrieving one or more telephone numbers each including the looked up area code from the telephone number database if they are registered in the telephone number database; and a unit for displaying the retrieved one or more telephone numbers and for displaying one or more marks indicating one or more locations respectively associated with the retrieved one or more telephone numbers on a map on-screen.
In accordance with another preferred embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a navigation device comprising: a map database for storing map data; a telephone number database for storing a plurality of locations and their telephone numbers, latitudes, and longitudes; a display unit for displaying a map on a screen thereof according to the map database; a scrolling unit for scrolling around the on-screen map; and a unit for, when the display unit displays a map on the screen thereof or every time the scrolling unit scrolls around the on-screen map, retrieving one or more telephone numbers respectively associated with one or more locations within the on-screen map from the telephone number database if they are registered in the telephone number database, and for displaying the retrieved one or more telephone numbers on the screen of the displaying unit.
In accordance with another preferred embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a navigation device capable of getting incoming calls through a mobile telephone connected to the navigation device, the device comprising: a map database for storing map data; a telephone number database for storing a plurality of locations and their telephone numbers, latitudes, and longitudes; and a unit for, when the mobile telephone gets an incoming call, finding out a location where somebody on the other end of the connection stays or lives unless somebody""s telephone number is stored in the telephone number database, for displaying a map including the location where somebody on the other end of the connection stays or lives according to the map database and the telephone number database, and for displaying a mark indicating the location where somebody on the other end of the connection stays or lives on the on-screen map.
In accordance with another preferred embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a navigation device capable of dialing a mobile telephone connected to the navigation device, the device comprising: a map database for storing map data; a telephone number database for storing a plurality of locations and their telephone numbers, latitudes, and longitudes; and a unit for, when dialing a telephone number through the mobile telephone, finding out a location where somebody on the other end of the connection stays or lives unless the dialed or destination telephone number is stored in the telephone number database, for displaying a map including the location where somebody on the other end of the connection stays or lives according to the map database and the telephone number database, and for displaying a mark indicating the location where somebody on the other end of the connection stays or lives on the on-screen map.
Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiments of the invention as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.